The Trump administration says they are illegally members of US gangs. The information available found that they had entered legally and there were no criminal charges.
The first “self-deportation” leaves with a group of immigrants
The first Homeland Security Department’s “self-deportation” flight left a group of 64 immigrants.
At least 50 Venezuelan men whom the Trump administration sent to prisons in El Salvador have been sent to prisons in El Salvador, according to a libertarian think tank.
An analysis by the Cato Institute, which supports a limited government, contradicts the federal claim that all 240 men they sent to the Centre for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador are illegally living gang members.
“They turned these legal immigrants into virtually illegal aliens,” said David Beer, director of immigration studies at Cato and lead author of the May 19 report.
“It’s shocking to the extent that the government tried to hide information about these people,” Beer told USA Today.
Kato discovered that 50 men had legally entered the United States of about 90 people who knew the route to entry into the country. Includes construction workers, chefs, delivery drivers, soccer coaches, veterinarians and makeup artists.
The White House did not respond directly to Cato’s findings and postponing agency-specific questions to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Illegal foreigners transferred to CECOT are dangerous criminals and pose a risk to Americans,” White House spokesman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “USA Today should cover illegal foreign victims of criminals, rather than carrying water for criminals.”
DHS did not respond to requests for comment.
Many of the men have entered legally
Of the 50 people who were legally admitted, one had a tourist visa and four were refugees. Meanwhile, 45 people were allowed to enter via the CBP One app. This is a Biden-era app that allows immigrants to schedule appointments with American immigrant staff seeking asylum abroad. The Trump administration has turned it into a self-declaration app.
Of those who used CBP 1, 24 were paroleed in the country, working legally for up to two years, and 21 were taken into custody when they appeared for appointment.
Before arriving in the country, people were vetted, screened, had high permission to enter and did not violate immigration laws, Beer’s review said. The government then “turned and “disappeared” without legitimate procedures to foreign prisons.”
There is no public information to confirm the crime
Additionally, authorities have been called members of male criminals and Venezuelan gangster Tren de Aragua, although they have not publicly provided evidence of guilt. The Trump administration quoted tattoos that they say prove the gang bond. Experts say the tattoo does not provide confirmation of loyalty to Tren de Aragua or other Venezuelan gangs.
Most Venezuelans sent to CECOT have criminal history, according to an analysis by researchers and journalists. Reuters found dozens of people had active asylum cases. CBS News, which obtained a list of names, was unable to find the criminal history of 75% of Venezuelans in the US or overseas. The New York Times found little evidence of the man having a criminal history.
The legal immigrant families denied gang membership, Kato noted. Only two of the 50 legal immigrants appear to have been criminally convicted of any kind in the United States for minor drug crimes.
- Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, 27, who enrolled using CBP One, reportedly owns Texas drug equipment.
- Kevin Nieto Contreras, a 27-year-old tourist visa holder, pleaded guilty to a 2023 crime in which “small amounts” of banned substances were found at a Colorado nightclub, according to the non-profit Robert F. Kennedy Center for Human Rights Center.
According to Cato, there is no public information about about a third of the men sent to CECOT. Some information was available to about 85 men, but it was not clear how they intersected.
A lot of information came only through journalists and other outside groups who have obtained facts about men, Bier said.
Eduardo Quebus is based in New York City. Contact him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or by signalling emcuevas.01.
